by pdub » Mon Jan 25, 2010 5:35 am
Well, I tried to take some photos, but the end result was they look like round bearings.
It turns out the "non roundness" I was feeling with my finger was where the seam was ground down. In a fit of paranoia I got worried and asked for advice here.
But when actually putting the silent shaft in, I find it turns very smoothly.
Warme - I measured the journal with a caliper and found it to be within spec. I did not measure the front end journal (or 'nose' as you say), though.
How serious does the groove in the drive gear need to be to require a repair sleeve? I think I could feel a little variation in the surface with my fingernail, but I don't have a measurement. Do you have a part no. for the repair sleeve? How about a sleeve for the rear main seal?
I guess that brings up the topic of oil seals. The manual mentions using a special tool with a kind of cone shape to ease any seal onto its shaft. How necessary is that tool? is it OK to simply lube everything up and work slowly?
Your point about not overlooking any details is well appreciated - but since this is my first rebuild, I am not sure where being conscientious ends and becoming neurotic begins. For example - should I send the crank out to be nitrided? Should I balance the con rods? Am I installing the seals correctly? At some point I do need to stop and say good enough, and then when it fails later on down the road I can learn from my mistakes. (And I'll probably think, "I was told this would happen if I didn't do X.")
Thanks for your advice.